Page 48 of Noel Secrets

She glanced at him, then reluctantly nodded. They stepped away from the cluster, the station noise filling in the silence between them. He led her near the wall, beneath a flickering departure board.

“Why are you pushing me away?” he asked low. “What have I done to cause this? I know I hurt you for years, but I really want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Please let me try.”

She crossed her arms, defensive. “I’m running for my life. I’m running to protect Veronica’s. That’s all I can focus on right now, Michael.”

Michael stopped short of trying to convince her to let him in. “Fine,” he muttered. “But don’t expect me to stop worrying. Or following you into whatever mess is next. You focus on running, and I’ll just keep up with you. Deal?”

Her expression softened, just slightly. Then, a smile twitched on her lips. She looked up at him through her eyelashes. “Fine. For now. But only because you’re kind of growing on me.”

Michael flashed a grin. “Like a boil or a smile?”

“Strangely, both.” She turned away. “I need some water.”

“I’ll go with you.”

She waved him off. “You’re being ridiculous. There are police everywhere. I’ll be fine. Stay here.”

Michael ground his teeth but did as she asked. With law enforcement swarming the place, he wasn’t too worried, as long as she was within view.

She walked toward the drinking fountain against the far wall and pressed the lever. Nothing. She frowned, glanced over her shoulder at him. Their eyes locked.

Then, she stepped around the corner and disappeared down the hall.

Michael took a step but paused, not wanting to upset her with even more smothering. But the seconds stretched too long. His heart lurched, and he crossed the floor of the station.

When he reached the corner, she was gone.

Chapter Thirteen

Jayda struggled against the leather glove over her mouth and the vice grip that held her arms so tight she couldn’t fill her lungs. Stars flashed before her eyes, but somewhere off in the distance she could hear Michael calling for her. She whimpered, wanting to call out to him for help, now that she couldn’t any longer.

As soon as she was carried out a side door, a black car waited for them.

It happened so fast her brain could hardly stitch the images together of the gleam of tinted glass before her and three men in dark coats moving as one. Their footsteps pounded the pavement, tossing her inside the vehicle. Before she could scream, she heard Michael shouting.

“Let her go!”

And then he was beside her, thrown to the floor.

“No!” Jayda cried, twisting against the wall of muscle that was the man who still held her.

The door slammed shut with a heavy, last sound of captivity, and the car lurched forward. Jayda strained toward the door, heart hammering. The train station blurred past—and in that quick streak of motion, she saw them.

Ginny. Ed. Caroline. Henry. The twins.

They were running after the car, faces tight with fear, with hands waving, voices shouting—though Jayda could barely hear through the sealed glass. They were no match for the accelerating vehicle. Within seconds, they slowed, the defeat in their postures breaking Jayda’s heart.

Then, just before the car turned the corner, Ginny pressed two fingers to her lips and whistled a sharp, commanding sound that carried even through the glass. Jayda’s eyes widened as a yellow cab swerved into view. Ginny pointed, yelling instructions as she and Ed jumped in the back, leaving the twins with Caroline and Henry. The cab raced away from the curb, closing the gap between them.

Tears filled Jayda’s eyes at the sight, conflicted about the danger everyone was in because of her but never feeling so loved.

The crisp, unmistakable metallic click of a gun being loaded twisted Jayda back around. Her breath stilled at the sight, drying her eyes in an instant.

It was “Scar” who sat across from her. The same man from the law library. The man she’d tasered. His dark suit looked perfectly pressed, his hair slicked back, and the pistol in his hand pointed right at her would do more than her stun gun ever did to him.

“My turn,” he said, his voice a gravel chuckle.

Michael shifted instantly, sliding in front of her like a shield. “You want her, you go through me.”